As bushfires continued to engulf in northern Australia, a helicopter crashed while fighting with it on Wednesday and the pilot managed to survive with only minor injuries, according to officials.
“The helicopter crashed during waterbombing operations at the Pechey fire today,” a Queensland Fire and Emergency Service spokesperson told AFP.
A rescue helicopter was sent to the scene and the pilot was treated for minor injuries, a Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman told AFP.
“We transported one male with non-life-threatening injuries to Toowoomba Hospital,” the spokesman said.
The pilot is now in a stable condition.
Earlier on Tuesday, several new fires broke out to scores of blazes that have been burning for several days across New South Wales (NSW) state.
Currently, more than 50 fires have continued to burn in the two states last week. The blazes also claimed that the lives of three people so far.
According to the predictions of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, the maximum temperature will reach as high as 37 degrees Celsius on Tuesday with gusts of wind over 65 km per hour.
More than 3,000 firefighters, with the help of volunteers and 60 aircraft loaded with water, fight blazes along a 1,000-km stretch on the east coast of Australia.
On Saturday, three people were dead and over a hundred homes were gutted as bushfires raged across eastern Australia.
Queensland is on high alert amid severe fire conditions, with a forecast wind change expected to worsen several large blazes in difficult-to-access areas of the state.
About 70 fires are burning in the state, with Pechey residents told the safest option is to leave the area as conditions are currently too dangerous.
Difficult conditions were expected to flare again at the weekend as the temperature rises and winds pick up.
(With inputs from AFP)